The Lost Warrior :: Lost Moments
by ChibiChibi
Summary: A collection of short oneshots during my Lost Warrior Saga Part I to III. They are about moments mostly in between the years of the stories, but they might also take place during a story.
1. Won't happen again

**Disclaimer: Dragonball is property of Akira Toriyama. I'm just writing this fanfiction for fun and am not earning any money with his.**

**A/N: I've been thinking about doing this for a long time already… These drabbles will be about moments in the Lost Warrior Saga (Part I-III) that you won't find in the story, but mostly in the years between. I don't know, how regularly my updates will be, but seeing as those drabbles won't be long, I think I'll be able to write them as soon as I get new ideas. They might help me to relieve some stress during university without having to dedicate all my time to a new chapter for another story, which will take up much more time. But don't worry, I won't forget my other story! Those drabbles might also get me back into writing mood, when I'm about to start a new chapter of TLW-AR (just like now).**

**But please, leave a review to let me know you read this.**

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Won't happen again

_December 29, 2026_

Usually, someone wouldn't expect to find him at a bar, sitting at the counter and nursing a drink. But tonight he had felt as if the atmosphere at home would have suffocated him, if he had stayed any longer. The happy-go-lucky expression on his face had slipped every so often that day, as he had watched her and pondered about what might have been.

A few days ago, his daughter, his only daughter, had almost died.

Again.

He had needed to get out of the house for a while, but at the same time, he hadn't wanted to be entirely alone. So, when his feet had carried him through the streets and his eyes had fallen on the bar, he had gone in there without even hesitating for a second.

The room was filled with smoke and smell of alcohol. Music coming from an old speaker in a corner filled the air, almost drowned by the talking and drinking costumers.

Here, he wasn't alone, but he also wasn't bothered by anyone, leaving him lost in his thoughts.

He would never forget the shudder that had gone down his spine, when she had been stabbed by that knife and he had been forced to witness her apparently losing battle against the poison cursing through her veins.

He would never forget how he had wanted to cry, as he had seen her there, on the ground, face pale and too weak to stay awake. His heart had nearly stopped, when her eyes had fallen shut. The fear that he had lost her stronger than ever before.

And yet, she had made it. The third time in her life, she had beaten death, even though the odds had once again been against her.

The first time, in her first battle, her death had been prophesized. She had almost given up, but then she had taken her destiny into her own hands and not only killed Fieldner, but also cheated the prophecy.

The second time, she had almost died by Buu's hands. All those years, they had wondered who had saved her, and also inevitably their lives, and now they knew. The one, who had saved her back then, had almost killed her a few days ago. Her own daughter.

She had turned evil, fought against her family and most importantly her own mother. The poison had nearly killed two persons and both had survived, even though it should have been deadly.

He wondered, when her luck would run out.

Three close calls, three times in a situation, where they would have lost her forever. Without any chance to bring her back to life. And three times, he hadn't been able to protect her, his only daughter. He couldn't let that happen again.

While staring that the bottom of his now empty glass, he only noticed out of his peripheral vision, how a tall blond man sat down on the stool next to him.

"The same as usual, Vince?" the bartender asked the newcomer.

The man simply nodded and just a moment later, Goku saw that he had a glass with dark liquid standing in front of him.

Turning his full attention back to his own glass and his worries, he almost forgot the other man, until he suddenly spoke. His voice was deep and strong, filled with conviction.

"It won't happen again."

He looked up sharply, as the other man voiced the thoughts he'd had just moments before. Black eyes met blue eyes, both mirroring the same intense fire and determination.

They won't let it happen again.


	2. Visions

**A/N: Well, here's another one-shot… Have you ever wondered, how Jenny got her visions? Well, here's the answer!**

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Visions

_June 1, 767_

It was a day like any other in hell.

_Boring_, he thought, as he absently watched his comrades spar with each other. The only interesting thing that had happened lately, was the arrival of that green guy, Cell. He had made life, or rather unlife, a bit more interesting, at least for a few days, before even he and his boasting about how _he_ had killed _the_ Son Goku, whoever that was, was old news already. Somehow, he had been killed anyway, so this Son Goku couldn't have been that strong.

But this boring unlife soon found an end, as he found out, when one of Emna Daiou's employees, an ogre, was suddenly standing behind him, telling him that the Kaioushin would wish to see him. He was surprised, to say the least, but he left his comrades to their fight, following the blue ogre and for the first time in forty years, left hell.

He couldn't keep the snort from escaping, as he entered the Kaioushin's big fancy mansion and was led through long corridors to an equally fancy room, an office obviously. The ogre showed him inside and he saw the Kaioushin sitting behind his desk, already waiting for him.

"Welcome, Bardock," the Kaioushin greeted him, when the ogre had left them.

"What do you want?" Bardock growled, crossing his arms in front of his chest and straightening his back. He didn't like the look on the Kaioushin's face. The Kaioushin was planning something, something that involved him, and this he liked even less. When he had made his last stand against Frieza, he had sworn to himself that he would never again be the pawn of anyone, not even in hell.

"Your help, cooperation, a favor, whatever you want to call it," the god told him, not at all fazed by the Saiyajin's unfriendly behavior. "I know that, before you died, you were blessed with visions—"

"…cursed more like it," the Saiyajin grumbled, however, the Kaioushin continued undeterred.

"Visions about the future. I know that you saw the downfall of your home planet and tried to stop it, however futile it was."

"And again I ask, what do you want?" Bardock was slowly getting impatient and he already began to yearn for the boring unlife in hell. Why did those guys in high positions always beat around the bush?

"There will be a girl," the Kaioushin finally began his explanation. "A girl with a great destiny. She is to fight a hard battle to save her home planet and might need every help she could get."

"And what's this to do with me and my visions?" the Saiyajin asked, even though he already had an inkling which direction this conversation might take. And again, he didn't like this at all.

"You and your visions could help her more than you might imagine," the Kaioushin told him. "Sharing your gift with her, enabling her to see the future, might just save her life. Also, bestowing her with the ability of precognition will create a bond between you, so that you will be able to help her and, if necessary, train her through the means of dreams."

"Save her life!" he spat. "Those visions are not a _gift!_ Those visions are a _curse_! You're right, I saw my planet die, and yet I couldn't do anything to stop it! I only saw what would happen! How could this possibly help her?"

The Kaioushin regarded him calmly, not yet reacting to the Saiyajins outburst. Because, deep inside, the god knew that he might be right. Those visions might not be able to save the girl's life, but he still had hope that they might at least make the burden of her destiny easier to bear. Ignorance had already been the downfall of many warriors, so knowing what the future held in store for her might actually make a difference, if a small one.

"Who is this girl anyway?" Bardock eventually asked, slightly unnerved by the Kaioushin's silence, and actually a bit curious. "She must be a great warrior, if it is her destiny to protect her planet."

"She isn't a warrior, yet. To be completely honest, she isn't even born yet. But she will be a warrior, one day. Her whole family consists of warriors. Her father, Son Goku, was, until recently, the strongest warrior in the universe – now her brother Son Gohan holds that title."

Son Goku. Bardock looked at the Kaioushin with a startled look on his face. Son Goku - that was the name of the warrior Cell had killed. And this girl was his daughter? This girl that wasn't even… "What do you mean with, she isn't even born yet? How can you already know the destiny of an unborn child?"

"Do you believe in prophecies?" the Kaioushin countered. When Bardock remained silent, he simply continued, "In a few days, I will perform a ritual to part this girl from her mother and send her to another dimension, where she will be born by another woman and someday she will have to save her home. She will be their only hope."

"Another dimension," Bardock mumbled thoughtfully. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. "If I agree to do this, if I agree to burden her with this curse, what's in it for me?"

"Freedom, freedom from hell. If your mission is fulfilled, if the girl defeats her enemy and saves her planet, you will be granted the chance to go to heaven or to the Dai Kaiou's planet to train with other great warriors – among others your son."

"My son? But Radditz's in…" Suddenly, it occurred to Bardock that the Kaioushin wasn't talking about his eldest. He was talking about… "Kakarotto… He's dead?"

"He died a few days ago," the Kaioushin simply informed him. "So, what do you say? Will you help this girl?"

Bardock was shaking his head in disbelief, as he tried to grasp the fact that his youngest son was not only dead, but had apparently also earned his place on the Dai Kaiou's planet. He's got to be the only Saiyajin up there. Somehow, this was quite amusing. But still, even though Kakarotto was there, this wasn't enough incentive for him to accept. "My crew, my mate and Radditz will leave hell with me, when my mission is fulfilled, otherwise you won't get a deal."

The Kaioushin thought for a moment, before he eventually nodded and extended his hand. "Alright, I agree. You, your crew, your mate and Radditz may leave hell and go either to heaven or to the Dai Kaiou's planet, when your mission is fulfilled. But be aware that this might take years."

"I've already spent forty years in hell, I believe I can take another twenty, if it means that I might leave this dreadful place someday for eternity. I agree, I will help this girl," Bardock replied, as he took the proffered hand and shook it. "However, I still have one question. Why me, when there are certainly warriors with the same ability outside of hell?"

"Because," the Kaioushin answered with a mysterious and somehow smug glint in his eyes, "you and the girl are of the same blood. She's your granddaughter."

"My… granddaughter?" Bardock stuttered, speechless. But inside, he felt the anger grow. He had been tricked into cursing his own blood.

"Yes, and you may never tell her that it was me, who asked you to burden her with this curse."

It was at this moment that Bardock began to hate the Kaioushin.


	3. The Prom : Part I

**The Prom – Part I**

_July 1, 2002_

There was flurry of activity in the Briefs and Son household, as everyone was getting ready for the event that some of them had never thought they would reach at this place. The graduation ceremony had been a few days ago and today was the day of the prom.

Trunks was holding the necktie his mother insisted he'd wear, in his hands, watching as everyone else in their living room was fluttering about, especially his mother, ChiChi and Videl. They were already dressed, each of them in long dresses and each of them beautiful, but they weren't worried about themselves. No, they were worried about the appearances of their husbands and sons, who were all complaining about one thing or another. His father was of course the loudest and grumpiest of them all, but with a few well-placed threats of his mother, he became more or less compliant.

Suddenly she was standing in front of him and tore the tie out of his hands, placing it around his neck instead and tying it up perfectly. Trunks choked, as it became slightly too tight, and sent a warning glare into Goten's direction, as he was snickering.

Soon, they were all ready to go and got into their respective cars. The ride to the ballroom the committee had booked wasn't a long one, so they were standing in front of the building only a few minutes later, waiting for the others to arrive. While each of them had their own tickets, he and Goten had agreed with the girls to meet at the entrance, so that they wouldn't have to look for each other once they were inside.

Still, Trunks didn't want to wait any longer. He wanted to see what kind of dress Jenny was going to wear. She'd been teasing him about it for the last two weeks, ever since she had bought it. And her girlfriends had been playing along all this time, driving him almost crazy with their uncountable hints, whispers and giggles.

But he was soon delivered from his torture, as he recognized the car of Jenny's parents parking directly next to their car. He felt his heart speed up, as the backdoor of the car opened and _she_ got out. She noticed him and flashed him a bright smile. His breath caught in his throat – she was beautiful, and it was not just the dress's doing, even though it was gorgeous in itself.

It was a crème-colored gown that had two broad straps at her upper-arms, which went down to a V-neck, a corsage-like bodice and from the waist on it simply flowed down to the ground. She had her hair up in a rather simple style, with her long bangs framing her face. But the most breathtaking aspect was her bright smile and the sparkling eyes, which he, he was sure of it, had never seen light up like this before, when she had still been weighed down by her dreams and her destiny – not that they had known the true extent of her destiny back then.

Shaking his head slightly, to get rid off those thought, Trunks returned the smile, not allowing it to be dimmed at all. He had sworn to himself that tonight would be special. Jenny deserved this after the last few weeks, no, months. From now on, beginning this night, he would show her what it truly meant to live without pressure, without fear.

"You are truly breathtaking, tonight," Trunks told her sincerely, his smile never once wavering, as he took her hand, even though his stomach was doing somersaults and his heart beating as hard and fast as it had never before. He could almost swear that he had fallen for her again that night, really hard.

"Thank you," she whispered, a light blush stealing over her face. Oh, how he loved seeing her blush like this, because as long as she was still blushing, he knew that her innocence hadn't been shattered completely. "But you're pretty handsome yourself…"

Trunks raised an eyebrow and his smile was replaced by a playful smirk. "Of course I am. Have you ever doubted this?" She laughed at this and Trunks smiled again. She had been a bit subdued the first few days after the battle, even though she had tried to hide it. But with the bond, it was difficult to hide something like this, so Trunks was glad to hear this sound again, carefree and sincere. He looked around and saw that Shana had already attached herself to Goten's arm and that Jenny's and Shana's parents were already talking to his and Goten's family. "Well then, it seems that everyone is here. Shall we go inside?"

Nodding, she tightened the hold on his hand and together they were the first ones of their group to enter the brightly decorated ballroom. Trunks was sure, this was going to be one of the best nights of his life.


	4. The Prom : Part II

**The Prom – Part II**

_July 2, 2002_

This was turning out to be one of the worst nights of his life.

Trunks was leaning at the bar with a deep frown on his face, sipping at his champagne every now and then. It was already two o'clock in the morning and most of the parents were already gone – just like his, Goten's and Jenny's – and the prom was still in full swing. Students - no, Trunks corrected himself, they weren't students anymore – were sitting or standing at the bar, at their tables or were on the dance floor. Just like Goten and Shana… and Jenny.

His eyes narrowed dangerously, the frown becoming deeper and deeper, the longer he was watching her. Ever since they had stepped into the ballroom, people had started to look at her and begun to whisper. Their fellow graduates knew that she had something to do with what had happened to their school two weeks ago and he had already heard more than one story that came awfully close to the truth. That she had almost transformed into a princess with this dress overnight didn't really stop them either.

However, Jenny was the center of attention and this had only strengthened once the dance floor had been opened with the first dance of the graduates. Trunks had reluctantly stepped back, when first Goten and then Gohan had asked to dance with her – they were her brothers after all – but, he could remember growling at Goten, when he had cut in, which only earned him a very sharp elbow in his side. He hadn't growled at anyone again afterwards, though they would all be dead, if looks could kill.

Still, this he could bear, but after that other guys asked her for a dance and other girls pulled her aside for a _quick_ chat. All people she hadn't had much contact with during her years at their school. But Jenny was too nice to decline and she actually seemed to enjoy the attention she was getting for once, so he didn't say anything and tried to calm the roaring green monster in his chest that strived for her full attention.

Yes, he was extremely jealous, so what?

So he wanted to rip that head of the guy off, who was now dancing with her – a guy whom she'd had a huge crush on. Once. Before she had met him. But still, _he_ was her boyfriend, her _mate_. _He_ should be out there with her, not this stupid '_I'm-so-handsome-and-so-damn-nice-and-I-know-it'_-guy.

Yes, he knew that he was practically describing himself, but he didn't care. Opposed to this guy, he could be bad, if he wanted to. This guy, who was getting too close to his mate for his liking, whispering something into her ear that was making her laugh, was simply too good.

"If you keep looking like this, you'll only get wrinkles," Goten's laughing voice pulled him out of his thoughts. The song was over and he and Shana had left the dance floor to get something to drink.

There was a short pause between the songs and the DJ put his microphone at his mouth. "And now, everyone, a slow one for all the lovebirds out there." The first few accords were played and the light dimmed to insinuate a romantic mood.

_That's enough!_ Trunks growled inwardly, as he watched, how '_I'm-so-handsome-and-so-damn-nice-and-I-know-it'_-guy wanted to put his arms around _his_ girlfriend's waist. He pushed his half full glass of champagne into a surprised Goten's hands and strode determinedly past the dancing couples. His target was right in front of him and he grabbed the guy's hand, just as it wanted to touch his mate. "Jenny's mine," he snarled threateningly.

"A-alright," the guy stuttered and quickly scuttled away, obviously scared of him, Trunks noticed with a satisfied smirk. His father would be proud of him. Yes, he could be bad. He was much better than this guy.

"Trunks," Jenny sighed and he turned to look at her with wide, innocent eyes, but she didn't fall for them. "Don't look at me like that. Why did you have to chase him away like that? We were just dancing."

Just dancing? Trunks eyebrows shot up. Instead of answering, he grabbed her hips and pulled her close, so that she had to steady herself by putting her hands on his shoulders. Once he could feel her body pressed against his, he began to sway slowly to the song, the monster in his chest appeased for the moment. Jenny looked at him, confusion written all over her face. He couldn't suppress the grin that spread over his face, as he leaned down and whispered into her ear, "Have I told you lately just how beautiful you are?"

Giggling reached his ears. "I believe you did, Mr. Briefs."

"Well then, maybe you should finally believe me, because others have noticed this as well." Instinctively, the hold on his girlfriend tightened and he pulled her even closer, so that he could smell the scent that was so uniquely her. "And I don't like them looking at you or touching you like that."

Jenny pulled away and he could now see a teasing grin on her face. "Mr. Briefs, don't tell me you're jealous."

"Damn right, I am," Trunks told her with a possessive gleam in his eyes. "You're mine. My girlfriend, my mate, mine." He lowered his head and captured her lips in a short but passionate kiss. "Mine…"

Even though the kiss was a short one, Trunks noticed that Jenny was slightly breathless, when they parted. "Yours…" she breathed, meeting his blue eyes.

Trunks smirked. "And don't you forget it."

Their lips met again and they forgot the world around them.

Maybe this night wasn't that bad after all.


	5. A Training Session

**A Training Session**

_August 5, 2007_

A resounding _boom_ echoed through the gravity room, directly followed by a battle yell. Two golden glowing figures were facing each other at one moment and fighting each other in the next. If a normal human were to watch this fight, he wouldn't be able to see more than a spark here and there when the two forces collided. He also wouldn't see one of the figures shooting towards the ground and crashing hard into it, or the other figure following the first and planting his fist where the first's face had been just a split second ago.

Jenny was already breathing hard, as she got to her feet again and wiped the trail of blood from the corner of her mouth. But she didn't have any time to catch her breath, as Vegeta's next attack followed suit. She fell back, barely dodging his fist, and much to her to her surprise and dismay, found the wall at her back.

Again she saw the fist flying at her face and she ducked, but she didn't notice the knee that just at this moment buried itself in her abdomen. Gasping, she fell to her knees and noticed how the power of the Super Saiyajin left her. "Damn," she muttered, as she tried to get back on her feet, holding one hand protectively over her hurting stomach. Her knees were trembling, but she managed to stand nonetheless and got into a fighting stance, which was mirrored by her opponent.

"Do you give up?" Vegeta, who was still a Super Saiyajin, asked smirking.

Jenny snorted, even though she knew that she stood no chance now. She was completely worn out, her muscles were hurting and her breaths were already coming out in short gasps. And yet, she couldn't give up. "I thought you'd know me better, Vegeta."

"All right, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Without hesitating for just one second, Vegeta short forward and embedded his fist in her already wounded stomach. Jenny gasped, doubling over, and immediately found herself lying face down on the floor, after Vegeta had rammed her back with both of his fists. A groan escaped her lips, as she tried to push herself up again, but in vain. She felt her Saiyajin powers slip through her fingers and knew that she was now just her normal Human self. "Damn," Jenny simply mumbled again.

"You lost," Vegeta stated, as he knelt down next to her. He turned her over, so that she was lying on her back and regarded her warily, wondering, if he had maybe been too hard on her. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

Jenny almost growled, as she watched him leave through semi-closed eyes. As if she could go anywhere! Closing her eyes completely, she tried to take a deep breath, but winced, when her chest and stomach contracted painfully. Her injuries seemed to be worse than she had thought. Trying to relax as much as possible, Jenny was just about to drift off to unconsciousness, as her head was raised and something hard and stale tasting was pushed into her mouth.

"Chew," Vegeta's voice commanded and Jenny did so with the last of her strength, hoping that she could give in to her exhaustion afterwards. However, as soon as she had swallowed, energy was spreading through her body and she sat up, completely healed and completely awake. "Are you feeling better?"

Jenny smiled at Vegeta, who was looking at her with something akin to a worried expression on his face. A look none of them was really used to. "Don't worry. I feel great. Have I already mentioned just how much I love those senzu beans?"

"Once or twice," Vegeta replied dryly. He got up and extended his hand, which she grabbed so that he could pull her to her feet. He went over to the control panel to switch off the warning light that showed everyone outside that someone was training in the gravity room. Inwardly, he was relieved that they had the senzus and that the brat could already joke about it again. In his opinion, this had been too much of a close call. Her ki had been incredible low, when he had returned with the magical bean, much too low for his taste. Maybe he _should_ have hold back on her first day training after her long break.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault," Jenny told him, as she walked around to face him. "I could have given up, when I had the chance. I guess… I just overestimated my own abilities. I didn't realize that I lost that much of my strength and stamina during the last few months…" She chuckled. "Faith and Michael have really taken a lot out of me."

"So you think it's your brat's fault that you've been slacking off?" Vegeta questioned her with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, kinda, yeah… If it hadn't been for them, Trunks wouldn't have forbidden me to train those last months. And if I had trained, I think I might have had a good chance to beat you, Mr. Briefs."

Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and grunted. "My son is truly pathetic. True Saiyajin women are training and even fighting when they are pregnant. Some children are even born on battlefields."

"So you say now," Jenny grinned. "But actually, I know for a fact that it was _you_, Vegeta, who put this idea into my mate's head that I shouldn't be training as long as I'm pregnant. Admit it, _grandpa_, you were worried that something might happen to your grandchildren, if I were fighting."

Grunting again, Vegeta averted his eyes. "Whoever told you this, it is—"

"The truth," Jenny finished his sentence, even though she knew that he probably was going to say something along the lines that it wasn't true. Her grin widened even more. She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "But don't worry, Vegeta, I won't tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me."

She turned on her heel and walked towards the door of the gravity room, but looked back once more, before she left. "Oh, and Vegeta? Tomorrow, I'm definitely gonna beat you!"

"Dream on," was Vegeta's only reply and he watched her leave with a proud smirk on his face. That girl was truly more Saiyajin than his and Kakarotto's sons combined. He didn't doubt that, in just a few weeks time, she would have regained her old strength and skills. If it even took so long at all.

And then, he was again looking forward to a real fight with her, even more than to a fight with her father, but he would never admit it to anyone.

Just as much as he would never admit to anyone that he had, as a matter of fact, told his son to keep his mate away from the gravity room and any fights at all, while she was carrying his two grandchildren.

Shaking his head, Vegeta left the gravity room as well. The last twenty-five years on earth had really changed him. But now, looking back on it, he wouldn't want to have it any other way.


	6. The Surprise

**The Surprise**

_January 3, 2007_

The middle-aged cashier at the drugstore eyed the nervous looking young blond-haired woman in front of her with an encouraging and knowing smile on her face, as she scanned the item and took the ten euros note the young woman was giving her. However, just as she wanted to return the change, the woman was already gone. She shook her head, still with this smile on her face and put the change into the piggybank reserved for tips.

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She had been working in this store for a couple of years already and she was quite used to this kind of behavior, when young women or women in general were buying this special item. She had been one of those women once and knew only too well, how they felt, and most of the times, she could congratulate them a few months later.

Trunks couldn't believe his luck. When he had gotten to work this morning, he had expected to do some overtime, especially since Jenny seemed to have come down with some kind of flu and he had told her to take the day off. But instead of still sitting in his office, he had been able to call it a day much earlier than usual. A meeting, which had been scheduled for this day, had been cancelled and so he had been able to finished the bit of paperwork left over from the weekend until lunch and after that nothing new had come up, so he told his secretary that he was going home.

He opened the door to their apartment quietly, not calling out to his fiancée, as he usually did, when he came home. The whole apartment was quiet, but her jacket was hanging at the coat rack, which meant that she was home. But Trunks thought it better to make as little noise as possible, because Jenny might be asleep.

To be honest, he was a bit worried about her. Normal Saiyajins didn't get ill, and while Jenny wasn't what they might call a normal Saiyajin, with her two forms, she also didn't get ill that often. This morning, however, she had been incredibly pale and had complained about feeling sick, and this was more than enough reason for him to be worried and to tell her to stay home.

Without making any noise, Trunks put his briefcase on the floor before hanging up his jacket on the coat rack and taking off his shoes. Walking down the short corridor, his gaze grazed the small kitchen, but Jenny wasn't in there, and then he stepped into their cozy living room. The TV was switched off and the couch was unoccupied. Frowning, Trunks left the living room again and softly opened the door on the other side of the corridor – the door to the bedroom. Their bed was still unmade – not that this wasn't unusual, but the blinds were up and the window opened, letting in a cold breeze.

The frown deepened, as Trunks could now only think of one more place to look for Jenny. His eyes wandered to the door to the bathroom, which was closed. He crossed the bedroom in a few quick strides and his hand rested on the handle for a short moment, before he opened the door carefully. "Jenny?" he asked, nearly in a whisper, worried.

And there she was, sitting on the tiled floor, with her legs drawn up and her face resting between her knees. She looked up, when she heard his voice, blood-shot eyes meeting his, but immediately avoided his gaze again. The worry in Trunks grew even more, when he saw her reaction. His heart clenched painfully and he wondered, what had happened.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, slowly walking up to her and then crouching down directly in front of her. "What's happened? Hey, look at me," he said softly, when she didn't react at all. Trunks gently put his finger under her chin to force her to look up. "Jenny…"

Instead of saying anything, she simply nodded to the vanity basin, and first now Trunks saw that something was lying there. He reached up and took the white stick, holding it in front of him. "What's this?" he asked, while looking at it from several different angles. However, it was at this moment that he saw the blue dot on the stick and everything made sense. He swallowed hard, raising his eyes to meet Jenny's.

"Is this… I mean… Does this mean…"

Jenny nodded slowly.

"Damn," Trunks muttered, obviously shocked, and sat down on the floor, directly across of Jenny. He lowered his head for a moment, but suddenly a bright grin spread over his face and he started to laugh. In the next moment, he was hugging Jenny tightly. "How?" he asked her, when he finally pulled away. "When?"

But Jenny was only looking at him with a confused expression on her face, not answering him. "You're not angry?"

"Angry?" Trunks shook his head. "Jenny, why should I be angry?"

"B-but…" she spluttered. "It's too soon. We're not even married, yet. And we're still so young! I can barely take care of myself! I'm terrible with children, you know that! How do you expect me to take care of… of a…"

"Of a baby?" Trunks finished for her. Jenny nodded numbly and he gently took her hand, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb in her palm. "Jenny, I know you're scared. Hell, I'm scared, too. But this is still wonderful! I know we haven't talked about children that often, but I think we both knew that it would happen sooner or later. And why not sooner? I mean, I think we're old enough and we wouldn't be the first ones. Goten would probably say that it's about time that Will gets a playmate."

This got a quiet chuckle out of Jenny and Trunks smiled at her, a happy, honest smile.

"And don't forget that we will have three willing grandmothers to help us, if we have problems."

"I know," Jenny whispered softly. "And… I don't know… I think, I'm just shocked. It was so sudden. One moment I'm wondering about how I could beat Vegeta in our next sparring match, and then, suddenly, I have to worry about baby clothes and diapers and…" She trailed off, her other hand wandered to her stomach. "A baby… I still can't believe it."

"Well," Trunks grinned, "we'll have a couple of months to get used to this. At least, when your jeans won't fit anymore, you just have to believe it."

Jenny groaned. "Oh Dende, I'm gonna look like a whale! I'm gonna be fat!"

"And for the first time I'm glad that I'm the cook of this household," Trunks laughed. "I don't even want to know what kind of crazy cravings you're gonna get."

"Shuddup," Jenny growled, but there was a smirk tugging at her lips.

* * *

On July 29, the twins Faith and Michael came into the world. 


	7. The Dream

**The Dream**

_September 13, 1989_

_September 13, 775_

In the Afterlife the Saiyajin Bardock was sitting at one of the many blood-red lakes in hell, lost deep in his thoughts. More than eight years ago the Kaioushin had tricked him into cursing a poor innocent girl, his granddaughter, with visions. His fists still clenched almost on their own accord, whenever he thought about this.

Shortly after the Kaioushin had returned to him one more time, to tell him that the ritual had been successful. The urge to beat, or even better, to kill the Kaioushin had grown greater back then. To tear a baby from her real family was cruel and unforgivable. It had been time then to perform the second ritual – Bardock still had to keep his oath to curse this girl with his visions. Unfortunately, in his opinion, this had also been successful.

He had since then often used the connection he now had with the girl, appearing in her dreams, watching her, getting to know her. But she would never remember his visits; he took care of that. His connection made it possible to manipulate her dreams and what she remembered of it. So he also sometimes helped her to smooth over nightmares or other dreams, like the one about a half year ago, the vision she had about Majin Buu. She was still too young, too normal, to have to deal with something like that.

However, for a long time, he had already wondered, if he could manipulate her dreams even more than that, and if he could somehow connect her dreams with the dreams of others. He had worked on that theory for the last few years and was now almost certain that it was possible. He only had to try.

And try it, he would, Bardock decided with a grim smile. It was now night in the world where she was living, and the world they were living. It was time for a small reunion.

* * *

"Goodnight, momma," the little girl said, as her mother left her bedroom and closed the door behind herself. Turning to her stomach and wrapping the blanket tighter around her small body, she closed her eyes and was soon asleep.

In her dream, she was suddenly standing on a wide field, surrounded by high mountains in the distance. It was pleasantly warm and a light breeze ruffled through her long blond hair. In some part of her mind she knew that she was lying in her bed at home, fast asleep, but another part told her that this dream was too real. As far as she remembered, her dreams had never been like that.

Loud laughter suddenly caught her attention and in the distance she could see two small figures running in her direction. Fast, much faster than she had expected, those figures were getting closer and she could soon see that it was two boys chasing each other.

They were almost past her, when one of them, a boy with black hair that was sticking up in all directions, stopped right next to her, looking at her with a curious expression on his face. His friend – was this boy's hair really purple?? – also stopped, but he was looking a bit annoyed. She wasn't sure, if she liked the second boy.

"Hiya!" the black haired boy suddenly said with a wide grin. "I'm Goten. Who're you?"

The grin was contagious and she quickly found herself smiling just as widely. "I'm Jenny."

"Nice ta meet ya!" Unexpectedly the boy stepped forward and hugged her heartily. Jenny hesitated for a moment, but this was somehow feeling natural, so she returned the hug with just as much enthusiasm. When they let go again, he asked, "Wanna play with us, Jenny?"

She threw a worried look over to the other boy, whose name she still didn't know. "I don't know…" she whispered quietly.

The boy, Goten, looked at her, confused for a moment, until he caught on. "Oh!" Turning to his friend, he scowled, an expression that somehow looked wrong on his face. "Trunks! What's wrong?"

The other boy wrinkled his nose and crossed his arms over his chest. "She's a girl."

"So what?" Goten looked at him, his wide eyes clueless. "I think she's nice!"

"Maybe," Trunks simply replied. "But she's still a girl."

Tears formed in her eyes. It was always the same. Other kids didn't like to play with her because she was different, for one reason or another. She sniffed quietly and one tear rolled down her cheek, which didn't escape the two boys.

Goten, who obviously felt quite protective of her, scowled even deeper at his friend. "Now, see what you've done, Trunks!" Without even giving his friend another glance, Goten gently hugged the strange and yet so familiar girl again. "Don't cry, Jenny. Trunks's just mean sometimes, but he can be nice, too. And I still wanna play with you."

"Really?" Jenny asked, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her shirt.

Nodding eagerly, Goten said, now again grinning at her, "Of course. And I'm sure that Trunks wants to play with you, too. He just doesn't wanna admit it. We were just playing tag, so if you wanna…"

Sniffing one more time, and with one last glance at the other, unfriendly, boy, Jenny nodded. "I'd love to."

"Great!" Goten chirped. "Trunks's it, so you better run!"

Grabbing her hand, he immediately began to pull her along, and, after having heaved a deep sigh, Trunks admitted defeat and followed them. Soon, the loud laughter of not just two, but three children having the time of their lives could be heard in that area.

All too soon, they could hear someone call for them. "That's my mom," Goten said sadly. "I think Trunks and I, we've gotta go."

She felt a slight tug somewhere in her mind and somehow knew that her time was also up. "I want to stay," she told them, but knew that wasn't possible. "Will I see you again?"

Both boys nodded grinning. "Of course," Trunks surprised her by saying. "We're friends now, aren't we? I mean, you're not too bad… for a girl." He winked at her.

"Friends," Goten agreed. "Best friends."

"Best friends," she repeated, the concept somehow feeling foreign. With none of the few friends she had back home, she felt as deeply connected as with these two boys. Doing something she would usually never do on her own with other kids, she engulfed both of them in a tight hug. "I'll miss you."

"Miss you, too!" the boys said, as they let go of her.

The three kids exchanged one last smile, before the boys began to run into the other direction. She looked after them until they had disappeared and shortly after, the world around her began to fade. She woke up with a smile on her face.

* * *

For days after the dream, the three children couldn't talk about anything else, telling each and every person they met not just once or twice, but three or more times about the great time they had in the dream world. The parents of the children and the other people all nodded patiently with a smile on their faces, because they knew that eventually, this would pass.

And they were right. As the days passed, the children found other things, new things, to occupy their minds and so the dream was mentioned less and less, until they never talked about it anymore.

So when about twelve years later, the three children, now grown up, met again in the real world, the dream and the friendship they had formed back then was already long forgotten.


	8. The Dragon Swords

**The Dragon Swords**

_May 6, 813_

It was a day like any other. In the morning, when the light of the day was breaking through the curtains of his bedroom, his daughter came to him and helped him out of his bed. She wasn't the youngest herself anymore, and yet he could count on her every morning. She helped him wash, get dressed and then, at last settled in the wheelchair. After breakfast, he read the papers until lunch, and then, if the weather was nice and warm, she would push his wheelchair outside, always to another place, from where he could either watch the students at the school or enjoy some peace.

On that day, he decided that he wanted to watch the training of the Art of Swords, which was supervised by the best teacher he had ever employed. The weather was very pleasant on that day. It was May, not yet too hot outside, but the chilly cold of spring had also been chased away by now, and there was not a single cloud to be seen at the sky. Many teachers at his school used this fine weather to teach outside, and this one wasn't an exception.

It always delighted him to see the students train and the face of the teacher light up with happiness, when he realized that another child had made improvements. Years ago, when he had still been able to teach himself, before old age had finally caught up with him, he had been just like this young man. No, he shook his head, not a young man anymore. This teacher had also gotten a lot older, still, some of the youthful features were still present on the man's face, so that he sometimes forgot that it had already been more than thirty years ago, when he had offered the then young man the teaching position at his school.

But now, now it wasn't his school any longer. His former student had taken over some years ago, when he had noticed that his body was getting too weak for this. However, with this school, he had also bequeathed a quest to his charge. Many years ago, before he had founded this school, he had made a promise as payment for something very precious, for a wish that had made his dream come true. As return for this wish, he had promised to find a warrior and to train him in the Arts of Weapons. However, he had never found this warrior and now it was his former student's responsibility to continue the search.

He didn't know yet that in just a few minutes, the search would come to an end, and continued watching the students and teacher oblivious to the happenings close to their school, until suddenly a low rumble echoed through the air, which was immediately followed by a loud splash.

Everyone's eyes, his included, wandered to the nearby lake, where a huge fountain of water was rising up into the sky, seemingly almost in slow motion. The fountain collapsed again, sending water droplets everywhere, even close to their group, and as soon as the rushing noise of water had subsided, he could hear another sound. Light and amused laughter.

His eyes looked up at the sky, where the sound was coming from, and he was quite surprised to see that it was a dark haired woman, who was flying over them, and eventually landed on the bank of the lake. First now, his old eyes recognized the bubbles that rose to the surface of the water, and then, just a second later, a head shot up. It was a man, he could see, with the most peculiar hair color. He looked to be about the same age as the strange woman.

He knew he shouldn't be surprised, when the man suddenly rose into the air without any outward help. They were too far away, and yet he could swear that a mischievous smirk graced the man's face, before he suddenly rushed forward towards the woman, who shrieked, as he hugged her tightly, as wet as he still was from the water.

A fond smile appeared on his face. Ah, love…

The man was laughing, holding tightly onto the struggling woman, which also caused a few amused giggles and snickers not just from the students, but also from their teacher. As far away as they were, the woman still seemed to hear this, as she motioned towards them. The man finally let go of her and took her hand instead. Together, they began to walk up to them. Some of the students gasped, when the woman's hair suddenly turned blond, but Li had already seen weirder things in his long life.

However, much to his surprise he saw that the couple was older than he had originally thought, as the faint lines on their otherwise youthful faces testified. His former student came to stand next to him, his students taking a break in the meantime, and just a short moment later, the couple stopped in front of them.

"Hello," the woman greeted them with a friendly smile. "I'm sorry, if we've bothered you or interrupted anything. We got a little carried away in our sparring match."

"Ah, no harm done, young lady," he said, grinning up at her. "It was a nice change in the routine of my rather boring day. I'm Li, by the way. I founded this school and this is Nikanor, my best teacher and my successor."

"Jenny," the woman replied, offering her hand. Nik shook it first, and when Li shook it, a sudden spark shot up his arm. He barely even heard it, as the woman introduced her partner as "Trunks". No, his full attention was directed at the woman, Jenny. And then, he suddenly knew and he had never been surer of himself in his entire life. The feeling he'd had, when he had met Nik for the first time, was nothing to this feeling. There was no doubt.

"Li? Are you alright?" Nik's voice finally got through the whirlwind of thoughts in his head, and he nodded distractedly.

"Yes, I've never been better. Jenny… and Trunks, was it? I would like to show you something." Finally tearing his gaze away from the woman, he turned to his former student. "Nik, dismiss your students. I need your help bringing me up to the smithy."

Li knew, when he saw the look on Nik's face, that there would be questions later, but for now Nik simply obeyed him and allowed his students to go. This was naturally received with a loud cheer on the students' side. "As you wish, Li."

"Well then, Jenny, Trunks, if you'd like to follow me?" He saw the couple exchange a look, almost as if they were communicating, which was very curious, before Jenny shrugged.

"Why not? Lead the way." Her partner still appeared to be a bit suspicious, but Li could clearly see that Jenny was completely relaxed in his and Nik's presence, which was a great relief. He needed the woman's trust, after all.

Gesturing towards Nik that they could begin the trek, Nik pushing his wheelchair and the couple walking behind them. Out of the corners of his eyes, he could see some heated glares being exchanged in yet another silent conversation, but eventually Jenny huffed and fell into step next to Nik. He couldn't hide the grin, when Jenny began to pester Nik about the school. Nik answered all of her questions willingly and elaborated even, when he thought that it was necessary. The amazement on the woman's face began to grow with each word that left Nik's mouth.

After a walk of about fifteen minutes, they finally came to a halt in front of the smithy. From now on, Li could navigate the wheelchair on his own and thanked Nik for his help, before he turned again to Jenny. "What I want to show you is inside. Your partner may come with us, but it's _you_ I _need_ to show this."

"Alright… what is it?"

The curiosity in her voice was not hidden at all, so Li quickly unlocked the door and pushed his wheelchair inside. Jenny followed directly after him, and after her came her partner, Trunks, and Nik. He saw her gaze wander into the room, where he forged the weapons, so he explained. "Making things out of metal is my greatest passion. I would die, if I couldn't do it anymore, but fortunately, my arms are still strong, while my legs have already failed me."

"It's amazing," Jenny gasped. "I've never seen something like this before, and believe me, I've seen a lot of things."

Somehow, he couldn't doubt her words. He had already noticed the depths in her blue eyes, and for a moment he wondered how old she really was. She didn't look a day over thirty, as did her partner, but something in her posture spoke of more years. "You think this is amazing? Then take a look at this." Grinning at her, he opened the door to the weapon's chamber. "Welcome to my armory."

Jenny whistled in appreciation, as she looked around the room, but her gaze didn't wander far, as it was suddenly fixed on two weapons, just as he had already hoped. Almost as if in a daze, Jenny crossed the room and reached out with her hands to the swords, almost touching them, but she hesitated an inch before her fingers connected with the blades. Turning to look over her shoulder, she asked, "May I?" Li nodded, and carefully, almost as if they were very fragile, Jenny first took the short sword and then the long sword from the wall. Li's eyes immediately saw that they were perfect for her – length, width, weight… everything.

"These are the Dragon Swords. Many years ago, when I was still a young man and on a journey to learn more about my craft, I found seven spheres, called Dragonballs. With them, I called forth the dragon Shenlong and I wished that I would be able to forge every metal. However, before he fulfilled my wish, he asked me to forge a weapon for a warrior, who's destined for using it, and train him. And he presented me with the hardest metal of the universe for this task. Out of this metal, I forged those two swords, and you, Jenny, are the warrior that Shenlong has prophesized."

Unexpectedly, the woman's head whipped around, anger evident on her face. However, this look was quickly replaced with resignation and then longing, as she once again looked down at the beautiful swords, the short one with engravings of the Dragonballs and the long one portraying the dragon Shenlong in its engraving. "I have… an issue with… prophecies…" she finally answered. "But I can feel the pull to the swords. They are calling to me. I don't think I could just put them back and then forget about them. I have the feeling that I would regret this decision."

"They are yours," Li told her, "on one condition."

"Which would be?"

"You have to accept being properly trained in the Arts of Swords by Nik. I promised Shenlong that I would train the warrior, would train you, but my body is old and can't fight anymore. Nik, as my successor, has agreed to take over that aspect. But I have to warn you – this training might take years." Li looked at Jenny, long and hard, imploringly. She needed to understand that she couldn't learn this Art within a few weeks or even months. "So, do you accept?"

Jenny looked down at the swords one more time, before she put them back where she had found him, and then resolutely walked back to Li. Extending her hand, she said, "I accept."

In all his life, Li had never been so relieved and happy to shake the hand of a new student.


	9. Wedding Jitters

**Wedding Jitters**

_March 2007_

_Wedding preparations. _

This was something she hadn't wanted to think about for a few more years, at least if it concerned her own wedding. And yet, here she was, sandwiched between Shana and ChiChi on the couch in Bulma's living room. Bulma, Videl and her mother were sitting on the other couch across from them at the large coffee table, which was littered with magazines and brochures of wedding gowns, wedding cakes, flower arrangement and all that other stuff that was needed for a wedding.

_Wedding preparations._

The thought of her own wedding looming on the horizon – just seven more weeks to go – still sent a shiver down her spine, and yet also set some pleasant butterflies loose in her stomach.

They had almost settled on everything already, the date and location, the food and now they were talking about the flowers. After that, the only thing that was still missing was the dress, but this was something she didn't even want to think about yet. Seven weeks was a long time. And who knew if the dress would even fit in seven weeks. Not that anyone else in this room knew that this small problem might occur.

Until now, she and Trunks hadn't told anyone their big news. Trunks wanted to, of course, but she still wasn't so sure. Especially not now, not after he had proposed – just two weeks after he had found her sitting on the bathroom floor. She feared what the others would think, when they found out.

That they were just getting married because of the yet unborn baby she was carrying.

And she couldn't blame them, not when she was also worried about that. The timing of Trunks's proposal had just been too perfect, too suspicious. She hadn't asked him about this of course, having been too absorbed in the moment, too stunned and, back then, too happy about the proposal to do anything but accept it. The questions only came up later that night, when Trunks had already been asleep. Questions he didn't know anything about, of course.

He had looked so deliriously happy, when she had accepted his proposal and had allowed him to slip the ring on her finger that she hadn't found it in herself to tell him about her fears the morning after. Or the day after that. Or the day after that. Until today, she had remained silent.

What would he think, if she asked him about his motives of the proposal? She was scared that this would ruin everything that they had. What if he thought that she was questioning his feelings for her? What if he thought that she didn't want to be with him anymore? What if he thought that she wasn't in love with him anymore?

But he knew that she still loved him, right? That she wanted to be with him and that she knew that he was still as much in love with her as she was with him. According to Saiyajin standards they were already married for Dende's sake! They'd been living together for five years already, so why the hurry to get married now if not for the baby?

"Jenny? You're still with us?" Bulma's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and Jenny realized with a start that everyone was looking at her.

"Yeah, sorry… Just zoned out there for a moment… What were you guys talking about?"

"Flowers," ChiChi answered, eyeing her carefully, just as every other woman in the room did. "We were asking you, if you'd rather have white roses or red roses?"

"Mmh… both?" Jenny asked, sounding and feeling completely unsure. Burying her face in her hands, the first sign of weakness she had shown since this madness had started, she mumbled, "I really don't know."

"Jenny?" Videl's concerned voice caused her to look up from her hands. "Is everything alright? You're not getting cold feet, are you? I mean, basically, you and Trunks _are_ married already and you know that the nice thing about the bond is that you'll never have to get a divorce. _This_ is actually just a formality to make your status real in human society."

"I know…" Jenny sighed. "But it's not that."

"What is it then?" her mother asked.

Jenny looked first at her, then at the other women in her life. Would they understand? And then, not really knowing what to say, she whispered, "It's the timing."

"The timing?" Shana raised her eyebrows. "What's wrong about the date? It is the fifth anniversary of the day you first met, right? I think it's pretty romantic."

Shaking her head, Jenny explained in a low voice. "It's not the day of the wedding… it's the day of the proposal. It was so…"

"Sudden?" ChiChi provided. "I know what you mean. I mean, we were all pretty surprised when you two announced that you were engaged and that you planned to have the wedding so soon."

Shana nodded in agreement. "Yeah… You know, because we all know that you weren't in a hurry to get married, Jenny. That you were satisfied with how things were. You never talked about it, after all. Actually… I think that's why Trunks waited so long until he asked you."

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked confused.

"Well…" Shana began to play with the hem of her shirt and averted her eyes for a moment. "It's just that Goten's told me that Trunks had been carrying the ring around since September. He asked me not to tell anyone, but we both had been waiting for the announcement since then."

"Since… September?" Jenny asked weakly, not knowing what else to say. Had Trunks already planned to ask her back then? Somehow, this seemed even worse… that he had wanted this for so long, but that he had waited all the time, because she had never even talked about getting married. "Oh Dende… I'm a bad girlfriend…"

"Oh no, hon, you're not a bad girlfriend, not at all," Bulma immediately comforted her, but Jenny just shook her head.

"I am! I mean, look at me… I couldn't even see that my _mate_ wanted to get married so much that he got me a ring already in September… and then, when he finally asked me, I questioned his motives!"

Stunned silence met her declaration and Jenny immediately gritted her teeth. _That_ was certainly not how she wanted them to find out, or for that matter, find out at all that she had doubted Trunks. But it was too late now, as her hope that they hadn't heard that last comment was dashed by ChiChi's question.

"You questioned his motives? Why? That boy loves you more than anything else, and you know that."

All eyes were directed at her and almost unconsciously, one of Jenny's hands wandered to her still relatively flat stomach. She took one deep breath, before she finally said with a shaking voice, "A few days before he proposed, I found out that I'm having a child. His child, of course… And the timing of his proposal was just too… convenient. How could I not question his motives for suddenly wanting to marry me, only that I now know that it wasn't as sudden as I'd thought and that he'd wanted to do this for so long and I'm really a bad girlfriend for not noticing this and for thinking this and—"

"Jenny, Jenny!" her mother said gently, but forcefully, effectively stopping her daughter's rant. "Calm down."

Jenny took another deep breath, but couldn't keep the tears from falling. No matter what they said, she was a bad girlfriend. How come she hadn't noticed how much Trunks had wanted to make it official, to marry her? How had he managed to keep it from her with the bond? Or had she been just so ignorant that she hadn't wanted to notice it. After all, getting married had really been something she hadn't talked about. She had been satisfied with the life she was leading.

Suddenly, a white tissue appeared in front of her. Jenny took it from Bulma with a small grateful smile and wiped the tears away. After having blown her nose, she whispered, "I'm sorry… We really should have told you sooner."

"Nonsense, Jenny," Bulma said firmly but gently. "When you were going to tell us was absolutely up to you. Though I'm not sure if I'm already ready to be a grandmother. I'm still too young! But… you should really talk to Trunks about this. You know, we haven't been the only ones who have noticed that you're not completely immersed in the preparations."

"You're right," Jenny mumbled. "I need to talk to him about this…" With an apologizing smile, Jenny rose from the couch, however, before she left, she pointed at an assembly of white and red roses in one of the magazines. "These are nice. I'd like to have these roses."

* * *

Trunks was tired. This had been a long day at work and he was looking forward to spending the evening snuggled up to his fiancée on the couch. Chuckling lightly, he wondered what kind of take-out they would have today. Jenny usually ordered something, when he didn't get home early enough to make them some real food, as her skills in the kitchen hadn't really become better over the past few years.

However, when he entered the apartment, a mouthwatering scent reached his nose. This was certainly no take-out. Grinning brightly, Trunks recognized the scent as one of the few things that Jenny could actually do without burning down the kitchen. Spaghetti Bolognese. "I'm home," he called out, though he was sure that Jenny had already felt him.

"I'm in the living room," Jenny called back and Trunks followed her voice and the delicious scent into the living room, where he could see his fiancée stand in front of a fully set dinner table. With a tablecloth, their finest china and even candles. He could see the bowls of spaghetti and sauce right in the middle of the table.

"Hey," he greeted her and kissed her softly on the lips. "What's the occasion?"

Shrugging, Jenny replied, "Let's first enjoy the spaghetti. And after that, I can tell you why I wanted to spoil you today."

Frowning slightly, Trunks sat down and allowed Jenny to fill his plate with spaghetti and sauce, before she filled her own plate. They spent the meal talking about Trunks' day and about what she had been up to with the other women of their family.

Though Trunks tried not to show it, he was slowly growing worried, when Jenny didn't really want to get into the details of the wedding preparations he knew had been planned for today and otherwise seemed to be a bit distracted as well. He had been wondering for some time if Jenny really wanted to get married.

Sure, she had been so ecstatic, when he had proposed, but just a short time later, he thought he could feel the reluctance in her every action regarding the wedding. The worry that she would just call the whole thing off, or maybe even worse, leave him at the altar, was beginning to reach new heights that night.

Once they had finished and Trunks had helped Jenny to clear the table and put the dishes into the dishwasher, he took her hand and pulled her down on the chair at the dinner table next to him. "Hey, I just wanted to get the dessert," she protested with a pout.

Shaking his head, Trunks said, "Later. Now please tell me what's on your mind. You haven't been completely there all night, and I want, no, need to know why."

With a sigh, Jenny hung her head for a moment, trying to muster up the courage she needed to admit her suspicions. Her mistake. Finally, after long endless seconds, Jenny raised her head, and mumbled, "I wanted to say sorry…"

"Sorry? What are you sorry for?" A feeling of dread and doom began to fill him and before he knew it, he blurted out his fears, "I knew it. You're going to call off the wedding!"

"What? No!" Shaking her head frantically, Jenny took Trunks' hands in her own, squeezing them gently. "I won't call off the wedding. I want to get married! Really!"

"You won't? You do? Then… what's all this about? And what are you sorry for?"

"I'm sorry for thinking bad things about you. I'm sorry for questioning your feelings for me… I'm sorry…" Tears were now streaming down her face and she began to sob, which scared Trunks almost more than the words she had just spoken.

"Hey… calm down… what's wrong? I don't understand..."

Between two sobs, she quickly explained, "I thought you just wanted to marry me because of the baby."

Suddenly, realization began to dawn on Trunks and he cursed himself for his bad timing. Damn it! Why hadn't he thought about what Jenny might think about this? He knew that her insecurities still tended to rear their ugly head now and then. But if he had to be honest, he hadn't been fully without ulterior motive.

"You stupid, silly girl," Trunks chuckled, pulling her on his lap and into his arms. She seemed to resist at first, but quickly melted against him. "Though I have to admit that you're not completely wrong. Our baby just finally gave me the courage to do it. And, to be completely honest, I had hoped that you would be more open to the idea of marriage, when we're going to be parents. You have no idea how scared I've been that you would say no, so I've never worked up the courage to actually ask you… You'll never guess how long I've been carrying around the ring."

"Since September," Jenny sniffled, much to Trunks' surprise. Before he could ask, however, she told him, "Shana told me. Goten told her. And I'm so sorry that I ever gave you the impression that I'd say no."

"Don't apologize," Trunks quickly shushed her. "After all, we've never really talked about it. And we're still young. But I wanted to make it official, so that everyone can see that you belong to me. I want you to go by my name. I want you to wear my ring. I want every man to back off the moment they lay eyes on your ring finger. I want you to be mine, officially and visible to everyone else."

"I'm yours," Jenny mumbled, as a few more tears fell. Only this time it was because she was so touched by his words. "We will get married in a few weeks. I will take your name and wear your ring. Everyone will know that I'm yours." A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes, as she slung her other leg around his waist, effectively straddling him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But at the same time, everyone will know that you're mine. You will wear my ring and every woman will know that you're off limits. That you're my husband… my mate…"

"Yours…" Trunks growled and captured her lips in a heated kiss.

Needless to say that one thing led to another and their dessert remained forgotten in the fridge until much, much later that night.


End file.
